Crystal Palace U21s v West Ham United U21s
Premier League 2 Division 1, Crystal Palace Training Ground, Monday 17 April 2023, 1pm BST
West Ham United U21s return to Premier League 2 action against Crystal Palace on Monday afternoon.
Mark Robson’s young side head into their final stretch of games in the 2022/23 campaign looking to bounce back following a disappointing 3-1 defeat by Blackburn Rovers on 1 April.
The development team have picked up 24 points from 22 matches played this season and occupy eleventh place in the 14-team league.
The Hammers lost the reverse fixture in October against Crystal Palace, with defender Levi Laing sent off after Eagles’ midfielder Fionn Mooney decided the 1-0 scoreline at Rush Green training ground.
How To Follow…
Fans will be able to follow all the action from Crystal Palace U21s v West Ham United U21s in our live blog at whufc.com, which will begin one hour before kick-off, at 12pm.
Highlights from the Premier League 2 game will also be made available after the match at whufc.com and on the YouTube channel shortly after, as will exclusive reaction from the fixture.
Team News…
Lead coach Mark Robson will be able to call upon a strong squad, although he also has the prospect of a fixture against Liverpool on Saturday.
The likes of Divin Mubama, Regan Clayton, Ollie Scarles, Kaelan Casey, Lewis Orford and Gideon Kodua all featured in West Ham United’s FA Youth Cup semi-final 6-1 win over Southampton on Thursday 6 April and will be pushing for more involvement at U21s level.
However, West Ham United U18s are playing on Saturday morning, against Arsenal, so some younger members of the squad may be included in Kevin Keen’s matchday plans instead.
With Junior Robinson recently unavailable due to injury, Dan Chesters has performed at right wing-back and could be asked to fulfil the role again on Monday.
Opposition…
It has been an impressive season so far for Crystal Palace U21s, who sit third in the Premier League 2 table with 22 games played.
A run of four straight wins means the young Eagles have won half of their league fixtures as they prepare to host West Ham United on Monday evening and are six points off leaders Manchester City with four games to play.
What is clear is that Palace have impressed defensively this season. They have conceded just 30 league goals this campaign – only leaders Manchester City have let in fewer goals than the Eagles (27). And as a result, they have fallen to just three defeats. Their last against City in January.
At the other end of the pitch, there has been success too. Ademola Ola-Adebomi has seven goals, while John-Kymani Gordon has struck six. Victor Akinwale has also contributed five goals, with Palace sharing the goals around.
The Eagles are expected to be a stern test for West Ham United, who sit at the opposite end of the table and seek a victory to push themselves away from the relegation zone.
And following a 1-0 defeat in the reverse fixture, the Hammers will hope to be on the right side of small margins this time around.
